1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to devices for stringing cable from spools and more particularly, to a system and method for unwinding fiber optic cable from a cable spool using a vehicle, particularly an all-terrain vehicle, which cable spool is typically rotatably mounted on a jackstand which is free-standing or provided on a trailer or truck. In a preferred embodiment the cable unwinding system includes a roller drum which is rotatably mounted on a roller drum frame provided on the conventional rear rack of the all-terrain vehicle. According to the method of the invention, the free end of the cable is initially extended from the cable spool and looped around the roller drum. A tether provided on the trailer, truck or jackstand is removably fastened to the free end portion of the cable on one side of the roller drum, and as the all-terrain vehicle is driven away from the cable spool, the roller drum pulls the cable from the cable spool as the rotating cable spool dispenses the cable. After a selected length of cable has been unwound from the cable spool, the all-terrain vehicle is stopped, the cable is removed from the roller drum, the vehicle is re-positioned adjacent to the spool, the cable is again looped around the roller drum and tethered to the trailer and the vehicle is driven away from the cable spool to pull a second cable segment from the spool. The extended segments of cable are positioned on the ground in parallel, adjacent relationship to each other and the procedure is repeated until the desired length of cable has been pulled from the cable spool.
Fiber optic cables are used extensively in the cable television industry to transmit electronic signals to homes and businesses. When new residential subdivisions are developed, miles of fiber optic cable must be distributed to these areas either above or below ground, or both, to provide cable television service to the new homes. Typically, the fiber optic cable is wound on a cable spool which is rotatably mounted on a jackstand provided on a trailer or cable truck. Usually, the cable must be unwound from the cable spool by manually grasping and pulling the cable from the spool as the spool rotates and dispenses the cable. However, this is a very time-consuming and labor-intensive operation and may cause blistering and other discomfort to the person or persons charged with the cable unwinding operation. Accordingly, a method is needed for quickly and easily removing extensive lengths of fiber optic cable from cable spools.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various devices are known in the art for dispensing cable from a cable spool or other medium or installing cable in the ground. Typical of these devices is the xe2x80x9cWire Rollerxe2x80x9d, described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,622, dated Mar. 20, 1984, to Heider. The wire roller is designed to dispense wire from a spool for construction of a new fence or to take up wire removed from an existing fence, and the spool is rotatably supported on a frame which is adapted for support on a vehicle. An electric motor is provided on the frame for rotating the spool. The frame may be mounted on the bumper of the vehicle by means of a clamp assembly which includes a pair of coacting clamp jaws pivotally connected by an adjustable connection for accommodating vehicle bumpers of various dimensions. U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,983, dated Jan. 13, 1987, to Boland, et al., details a xe2x80x9cRear Bumper Assembly for Cable Pulling Truckxe2x80x9d including a pair of telescoping outrigger supports, each of which carries at its outer end an upstanding vertical support tube for receiving the shaft of a winch motor. Each support further includes a hand-operated jack assembly pivotally movable between storage and use positions. Multiple hydraulic and electrical couplers are provided on the jack assembly for connecting the assembly to hydraulic and electrical systems of the truck. A xe2x80x9cWheeled Vehicle for Stringing a Cablexe2x80x9d is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,370, dated Feb. 17, 1987, to Pierce. The vehicle is used for stringing cable from a spool which is rotatably mounted on the vehicle. A motor may be used to rotate the spool, and a multibrake system may be used to inhibit the rotation of the spool. The multibrake system includes a variable, light-resistance brake capable of being activated when the vehicle is either moving or parked and includes a nonvariable, strong resistance brake capable of being actuated only when the vehicle""s parking brakes are used. When the spool is rotated to take in or dispense cable, the strong resistance brake is automatically disengaged, and automatically reapplied when rotation of the spool ceases. An xe2x80x9cOff-Road Vehicle Fairlead Assembly for Fibre-Optic Communication Cablexe2x80x9d is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,397, dated Feb. 17, 1987, to Munns. The assembly is adapted for guiding fiber-optic cable from a reel rotatably supported on the boom assembly of a vehicle to the feed tube of a shank attached to the hitch of the vehicle. A first fairlead assembly is fixably mounted on the top of the vehicle cab and includes a housing which defines an open-ended chamber having chamber openings. Each chamber opening has multiple rollers positioned such as to form a convergence inwardly to the chamber. A second fairlead assembly, characterized by vertical sidewalls mounted on a base and having multiple rollers rotatably mounted between the sidewalls, is fixably mounted on the shank for directing cable to the shank feed tube. U.S. Pat. No. 4,726,566, dated Feb. 23, 1988, to Boland, et al., discloses a xe2x80x9cTruck-Mounted Cable Pulling Systemxe2x80x9d characterized by an equipment module for use in a cable-pulling system which includes a pickup truck having a hydraulic drive system. The module includes a frame adapted to be removably mounted on the pickup truck, a hydraulic control console mounted on the frame and adapted to be coupled to the hydraulic drive system of the truck, a hydraulic winch motor, first support means mounted on the frame for removably supporting the winch motor in a storage position, a cable take-up reel, and second support means mounted on the frame for removably supporting the reel in a storage position. U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,470, dated May 27, 1997, to Leland, details a xe2x80x9cWire Fencing Apparatusxe2x80x9d having a generally rectangular open frame carriage mounted on a standard three-way hitch on the rear end of a tractor. A pair of hydraulic cylinders mounted on the frame each has a pulley attached to the top of the upwardly-extendible piston thereof, which pulley receives a strand of fence wire. The pulleys operate to tension the separate strands of wire in opposite directions, as well as single strands from either direction of the apparatus.
An object of this invention is to provide a system and method for unwinding cable from a cable spool using a vehicle.
Another object of this invention is to provide a system for unwinding fiber optic cable from a rotatable cable spool typically using an all-terrain vehicle, which system includes a roller drum mounted on the all-terrain vehicle for receiving the cable and wherein the all-terrain vehicle is driven away from the cable spool to unwind the cable from the cable spool as the cable spool rotates and dispenses the cable.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a system and method for unwinding fiber optic cable from a cable spool typically rotatably mounted on a free-standing or trailer- or truck-mounted jackstand, which system is characterized by a roller drum rotatably mounted on the conventional rear rack of an all-terrain vehicle, wherein the cable is initially looped around the roller drum; the free end portion of the cable on one side of the roller drum is tethered to the jackstand, trailer or truck; and the cable is unwound from the cable spool by driving the all-terrain vehicle away from the jackstand, trailer or truck. The all-terrain vehicle is repositioned and the cable-unwinding operation repeated as desired to facilitate unwinding a selected length of cable from the cable spool, with multiple segments of the cable lying on the ground in parallel, adjacent relationship with respect to each other.
These and other objects of the invention are provided in a cable unwinding system and method for unwinding fiber optic cable from a cable spool typically using a four-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, which conventional cable spool is typically rotatably mounted on a conventional free-standing or trailer- or truck-mounted jackstand. In a preferred embodiment the cable unwinding system includes a roller drum which is rotatable mounted on a roller drum frame provided on the conventional rear rack of the all-terrain vehicle. According to the method of the invention, the free end of the cable is initially extended from the cable spool and looped around the roller drum. A tether provided on the trailer, jackstand or truck is removably fastened to the free end portion of the cable on one side of the roller drum, and as the all-terrain vehicle is driven away from the cable spool, the roller drum pulls the cable from the cable spool as the rotating cable spool dispenses the cable on the other side of the roller drum. After a selected length of cable has been unwound from the cable spool, the all-terrain vehicle is stopped, the cable is removed from the roller drum, the vehicle is re-positioned adjacent to the cable spool, the cable is again looped around the roller drum and tethered to the trailer, jackstand or truck and the vehicle is driven away from the cable spool to pull a second cable segment from the spool. The cable unwinding procedure is repeated as desired to facilitate unwinding a selected length of cable from the cable spool as the extended segments of cable are positioned on the ground in parallel, adjacent relationship to each other.